Foreign Direct Investment in U.S. Energy 2006 Contacts | Home

Release Date: June 2009
Next Release Date: February 2010 

Download Full Report (PDF format)


Costs Incurred and Capital Expenditures

Royal Dutch Shell (England and Wales) contributed the most to the increase in upstream (oil and gas production) costs incurred[1](a good proxy for upstream capital expenditures) by FDI affiliates in the United States in 2006 (see table below).  A major part of their contribution was the beginning of construction of major components of the Perdido Regional Development Host facility in the ultra-deep waters of the Gulf of Mexico.  This complex is planned to be a spar floating production platform with full drill, complete, and intervention capability and will be used to develop the Great White, Tobago and Silvertip fields in the Gulf.  The increases in costs incurred recorded by BP and Nexen (Canada) were attributed most importantly to increased expenditures for development activities, while those at Total to unproved property acquisitions.

The apparent decline in downstream (refining and marketing) capital expenditures reported by FDI affiliates in 2006 is misleading because it is more than accounted for by the fact that Petróleos de Venezuela stopped publicly reporting downstream capital expenditures that year (see table below). In fact, three of the four reporting refiners increased downstream capital expenditures, with BP increasing its expenditures in part because it continued making investments in response to the 2005 accident at its Texas City, Texas refinery. Further, the company reported that it will increase spending in the United States to an average of $1.7 billion a year over the period from 2007 through 2010 to improve the integrity and reliability of its U.S. refining assets. In addition Delek (Israel) completed two capital projects at its refinery in Tyler, Texas that allowed it to produce all of its diesel output as ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel and provided more reliable sulfur-handling capabilities.

Upstream Costs Incurred and Downstream Capital Expenditures by FDI-Affiliate Oil and Natural Gas Companies in the United States, 2005 and 2006
                (Million Dollars)
Foreign Parent (Country) Upstream Costs Incurreda Downstream Capital Expendituresb
2005 2006 2005 - 2006 Percent Change 2005 2006 2005 - 2006 Percent Change
BP (England & Wales) 3,600 4,491 24.8 1,226 1,339 9.2
Royal Dutch Shell (England & Wales)c 1,396 2,555 83.0 449 419 -6.7
EnCana (Canada) 2,400 2,346 -2.3 0 0 0.0
BHP Billiton (Australia)d 963 935 -2.9 0 0 0.0
Total (France)e R494 843 70.6 - - - -
Nexen (Canada) 356 586 64.6 0 0 0.0
Delek (Israel) 0 0 0.0 R29 98 233.9
Alon Israel Oilf 0 0 0.0 R35 44 25.9
Petróleos de Venezuela 0 0 0.0 E515 - - -
Total R9,209 11,756 27.7 R2,254 1,899 -15.7
   aUpstream costs incurred in oil and natural gas property acquisition, exploration, and development activities.
   bCapital expenditures in petroleum refining and marketing.
   cDoes not include Royal Dutch Shell's capital expenditures at facilities jointly owned with Saudi Aramco (Saudi Arabia) and Petróleos Mexicanos (Mexico) or facilities operated by its chemicals division.
   dFor years ending June 30.  Includes costs incurred in South America.
   eIncludes costs incurred in Canada.
   fIncludes capital expenditures for asphalt and retail segments and for chemical catalysts and turnarounds.  Alon's capital expenditures were $24 million in 2003 and $29 million in 2004.
   Notes:  - = No data reported.  - - = Not applicable.  E = Estimated.  NM = Not meaningful.  R = Revised data.  ** = Number less than 0.5 rounded to zero.  Calculations performed with unrounded data.
   Sources:  Company documents.

[1] Includes costs incurred in oil and gas property acquisition, exploration, and development.